Locatable socket-cap.



R. A. SCHOENBERG.

LOCATABLE SOCKET CAP.

APPLICATION men OCT. 31. 1914.

Patented Sept. 3, 1918.

E T FFICE.

RALPH AI B RAHAM SCHOENBERG, (NOW BY JUDICIAL CHANGE OF NAME .RAIQPH A.BELMONT) OF YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO THE CONNECTICUT ELECTRIC. MFG. CO.,0F BRIDG-EPORT, CONNECTICUT, A CORPORATION OF CONNECTICUT;

LOCATAIBLE SOCKET-CAP.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Sept, 1918 Application filedOctober 31, 1914. Serial No. 869,573.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, RALPH A. SCHOEN- BERG, of New York,-in the county ofNew York and State of New York, have invented a new and useful LocatableSocket-Cap, of which the following is a specification.

Incandescent lamp sockets are commonly made with an outer shell orcasing of two parts comprising a body holding the usual switch whoseoperating handle projects radially beyond the shell, and a capseparately coupled to the body portion of the shell and made with aninteriorly threaded nipple adapted to screw onto the threaded end of thesocket supporting fixture. Such sockets are often used in connectionwith husks or socket covers such as shown in U. S. Patent 997,598, datedJuly 11, 1911 and which are made with an aperture through which theswitch key of the socket projects so as to be accessible. When so usedit is necessary to accurately position the socket and husk relatively sothat the socket key will properly register with the aperture 1n the huskor cover. With the socket constructions heretofore proposed, however,this has been diflicult .and, moreover, it was frequently and usuallyimpossible to assemble the parts with the switch key occupying adefinite desired position relatively to the supporting fixture. One oftheobjects of this invention is to provide a lamp socket or the likeparticularly adapted for use with husks or covers and so constructedthat the switch key can be accurately and easily positioned relativelyto the key aperture in the husk as well as relatively to thesocket-supporting bracket and to make the socket selflooking so as todispense with the usual set screw provided to lock the socket againstturning on its support. V

A feature of my invention consists in providing a compressible attachingnipple for the cap so that it may be screwed up hard in'order to varythe rotary position of the cap and in the preferred form the compressibility is provided without the necessity of using any additionalelement.

. Another feature consists in the use of elficient latching means such,for example, as a bayonet joint with means to position the cap asheretoforeany attempt to angularly position the key has meant the use oflength.

7 porting fixture.

wise latching means which have'been decldedly ineflicient for variousreasons such as loosening up after wear and such as imperfect fitbetween the body of the casing and the cap.

The invention also resides in other peculiar features of constructionandicom'bination of parts set forth in the following description andparticularly pointed out and hereinafter referred to showing the manner1 in which it is applied to a cap.

Fig. 7 illustrates the manner in which th wrench is used to apply thecap to its sup- The body A of the shell or casing of my improved socketmay be of usual. construction and is provided with the usual two pairsof studs a to interlock with the usual pair of bayonet slots 1) providedin the rim of the cap. In-Fig. 1 the cap, B is made with an interiorlythreaded nipple b which has its free end counter sunk as at b and alsoformed with an exterior annular groove 6 said countersink and grooveserving to so reduce the thickness as to 'make the-outer end of thenipple frail and compressible under endwise pressure.

In Fig, 2 I have shown a cap' B whose nipple b is provided at its outerend with an annular series of compressible prongs I) which may be madeby reducing the thickness of the wall of they nipple at and near saidend and notchingsaid reduced portion.

In Fig. 3 I have shown a cap B whose nipple Z2 is made longitudinallycompressible by slotting said nipple crosswise from opposite sidesthereof as at b and b.

In Fig. 4 I have shown a-cap B whose nipple b isformed with a countersunk recess 12 within which'is forced a compressible c of the socket suporting fixture C the interiorly threade nipple of the cap is screwedonto nipple 0 until it bears firmly against the husk D with the bayonetslots b 50 positioned that when the body A is coupled thereto asindicated by dotted lines in Fig. 7 the key a will register with the keyopening d of the husk and can be passed through said opening as the bodyA is brought into position and the studsa are engaged with the slots b.The nipple of the cap is screwed tightly onto nipple a so that itscompressible end, however made, is compressed and acts as a frictionallock to hold the cap against rotative displacement on the nipple 0. Anordinary socket of this kind has the nipple of its cap provided with aset screw which is employed to lock the cap nipple to the fixture nippleto hold the socket against rotative displacement, but when such a socketis used with a husk'this set screw is so far within the latter that itis inaccessible and is useless with the result that it is a diflicult,if not impossible, matter to both position the socket with relation tothe husk opening d and at the same time have it turned up sufficientlytight on nipple c. It will thus be seen that the compressible end.portion of the cap nipple has the important function of locking andholding the socket against rotative displacement, that is, it serves thepart of a check nut.

The compressible end portion of the nipple also permits of accuratelyand quickly positioning the cap with relation to opening d since thetightening rotation of the shell cap may be continued to position theshell cap relatively to opening (1 after the end of the cap nipple hasbeen brought to bear against the husk D during the assembling operation,the end of the cap nipple being further compressed as this tighteningmove ment of the cap is continued. When the cap nipple is screwed uptight into final position its more or less compressed end acts toproduce a longitudinal thrust or pressure on the nipple which causes thethreads on the latter to be pressed or held forcibly against the threadson the nipple 0 thus producing a frictional adherence which serves tolock the cap 4 nipple against rotative displacement, this being inaddition to the frictional adherence between the end of the cap nippleand husk D and between the latter and the shoulder c of the supportingfixture.

In order to facilitate the accurate assembling of the husk and socket onthe supporting fixture C I provide a wrench E comprising a stem 6 madewith an index or pointer e and provided at one end with a handle e andat its opposite end with a pairof diametrically opposite radiallydisposed arms e When the socket cap is to be applied to fixture nipple athe arms 6 gamete are inserted in the two slots 6 of the cap, in themanner illustrated in Fig. 5, and then the ca is applied to fixturenipple 0 and rotated y means of handle 6 until the end of the ca nippleis more or less compressed against the husk D .and the pointer or indexi plpints toward the key opening (1 in the The body A is then insertedin the husk with key (1 extending through opening d, the studs (1 beinginterlocked with the slots 1) in the usual fashion and the latteroccupying their proper positions relatively to opening (1 so that whenbody A is coupled to the socket cap the key will be positioned to extendthrough opening d as will be clear.

In the forms of cap shown in Figs. 1, 2

and 3, particularly the latteri the compressible end portions of thenipp es are resilient as well as compressible so that when either oneofthese caps is in position on the fixture nipple c and undercompression its tendency to expand maintains'a particularly efi'ectiyelocking action and will do this even when the cap is removed from nipplec and replaced.

A greatadvantage of my invention is that the socket is held againstangular displacement whereas heretofore such displacement has beenpossible and has resulted in loosening up the cap and in twisting andbreaking of the wires and in some cases in twisting the cap off thefixture and in short circults.

-What I claim is:

1. A socket for incandescent lamps having a shell provided with meansfor interlocking with a detachable cap, said cap having an attachingnipple, said nipple having an endwise compressible portion .to angularlyposition sald shell and cap.

2. A socket for incandescent lam s hav ing a cap with an endwisecompressi le selflocking attaching nipple, said locking being due topressure caused in compression of said nipple.

3. A device of the character described comprising a cap with anattaching nipple, the latter having outside of the cap a portion whichis endwise compressible when in engagement with another member withrelation to which the cap is angularly positioned.

4. A socket for incandescent lam s having a cap with an attaching nipplet readed to screw onto a support, sald support having a shoulder, saidnipple having a compressible extremity to engage said shoulder.

5. A socket for incandescent lamps having a cap, said cap having anattaching nipple, said nipple having an endwise yieldingsupport-engaging portion that is compres- 'sible by engagement with saidsupport when ple, the

- 26" nipple,

ing'a cap with a threaded attaching nipple; said nipple having anon-threaded yielding support-engaging portion that is. compressible byengagement with a threaded shoul- 5 dered support, when the cap isapplied to the latter locatably.

7. A device of the .character described comprising a support; a huskengaging said support; and a cap with an attaching niplatter havingoutside of the cap a portion which is endwise compressible when inengagement with said husk.

8. A socket for incandescent lamps having a cap and an attaching nipple,said nipple having a-portion thereof reduced 1n thickness so as to becompressible endwise to angularly locate and look said cap.

9. A socket for incandescent lamps having a cap and an attaching nipplehaving at 20. its extremity an angular groove for render- 85compressible attaching nipple to locate and lock said parts in anyrelative angular position with relation to its support.

having anon-threaded longitudinally com- 40 pressible extremity tolocate and lock' said- ,cap in a predetermined position with relation toa fixture substantially as described.

13. A socket for incandescent lamps having in combination a key, ashell, a cap pro- 46 vided with a nipple; a shouldered support operatingengaging means for engagm for said socket; and longitudinallycompressible means outside of the cap to locate said socket withrelation to the support.

. 14. In combination in an incandescent lamp socket havingtwo separableparts, co-

parts; an attachin nipple on one 0 said parts, and longitudinallycompressible means to'locate and lock said parts with relation to asupport.

15. A device of the character described said comprising a shoulderedsupport; a key; a

shell; and a cap having an attaching nipple; and compressible meansbetween the support and nipple to locate the socket with relation to thesupport.

.16. A device of the character described comprising a support; a caphaving an attaching nipple; and longitudinally compressible meansbetween the support and nipple to locate and lock the cap with relationto the support when said means is under compression.

17. A device of the character described comprising a supporting memberwhich is threaded; and a cap having a nipple with a portion threaded toengage the threading of said member and with another portion which isunthreaded, the latter portion being longitudinally compressible byengagement with said member.

18. A device of the character described having a supporting member witha shoulderanda projecting threaded portion; a husk to engage saidshoulder; and a cap having a nipple with a portion threaded to engagethethreading of said shoulder and 12. A socket cap for incandescent lampswith another portion which is unthreaded the latter being compressiblelongitudinally when pressed against said husk and holding the latter inengagement with said shoulder.

I RALPH ABRAHAM SGHOENBERG. Witnesses:

ABRAHAM LEONARD BUSH, LEON STRAUSS.

